Free/cheap outgoing international wires

This was previously discussed in Banks That Offer Free Wire Transfers but that thread is now archived. Reading that thread it seems that the only options for free outgoing international wires are:

HSBC Business Direct - Can only be opened in a few states "CA, NY, NJ, CT, MD and a few others"

Ameritrade Apex - Requires five or more trades per month, or $100k balance

Are there any others now?

HSBC: CA, CT, DC, FL, IL, NJ, NY, MD, PA, VA, WA

No go for me...looking for other options as well.

It's up to the individual branch how strict they are

I opened hsbc business acct by simply saying I'm a landlord - no business license or tax id, just my ssn as a sole proprietor

KingSalmon said:   I spend so much on wire transfers each year that I would save money by flying to one of these states and getting an HSBC account there. Does anyone know how stringent their checks are? I applied once and said my address was not in one of those states but I "operate" in NY a lot. They said that was insufficient, so this time I'm gonna get a local forwarding address. Do they also require that the business be incorporated in that state? That would make it a lot more expensive and even more a hassle.
NYC was a pain for me, they needed state LLC forms, EIN, etc. CT just needed a DBA form, unfortunately the CT branches are in the process of being bought by Niagara Bank.

Anyone know of any free *incoming* wire banks? I'm looking for a backup just in case HSBC closes any more branches or pulls this deal.

For outgoing I use Xoom. It's not for large transactions, but I have no need for that. I've used it to deposit money in a U.K checking account. The service charge is only $4.99. Their website says U.K. transfers take only one hour. In my experience it's only been about 30 minutes until the funds appear in the other account. Some have given this service poor reviews, but it works for me.

i recall opening an account was a real hassle.

they want the names of all owners in the corporation. when i asked if they demanded that of microsoft they said it was procedure for small business. also "interviewed" me and asked really probing questions.

plus the usual articles of incorporation, state papers, etc...

due to other issues, i ended up closing the account. not worth the ongoing hassle.

be careful they ding you on every little penny, even when there is no interest (you have to PAY to deposit money, like 0.5%... called FDIC deposit fee). there was an unreasonale minimum balance if i recall..

TDAmeritrade Apex is much better but you cant use them as a bank. it has to be "washed", meaning you cant deposit money and wire it out to another source right away - you have to buy and sell security or there is a chance the wire would not go through